Russellville School Board election setThree Russellville School Board members will face competition when election day arrives Sept. 18. The filing period for school board candidates ended Tuesday. James D. Cole will challenge incumbent Chris Cloud for the Russellville Zone 1 seat on the board. Morgan Barrett is unopposed in Zone 2, and Allen George is unopposed in Zone 4. Margie Smith will face Gina M. Skelton for the Zone 3 seat. Breanne Davis is being challenged by Christina Rou...

Ed Board considers rules on academic distress, religion in preschoolsLITTLE ROCK — The state Board of Education on Monday approved for public comment proposed changes in the way schools are designated as academically distressed and gave final approval to a rule prohibiting the use of state early childhood education money to fund religious activities at preschools. Currently, an Arkansas school district is identified as academically distressed if 75 percent or more of its students perform below the basic level o...

Moll embraces new role at Arkansas TechWhen Ray Moll was offered an opportunity to serve as associate dean for student success at Arkansas Tech University, his only concern was that he might lose the connection with students that he enjoyed as a faculty member. That concern was quickly resolved by the steady traffic that now passes through his office in the Doc Bryan Student Services Building on a daily basis. “That’s the exciting part for me,” Moll said. “I was concerned that leav...

Lessons LearnedKiwanis summer day campers at the Boys and Girls Club of the Arkansas River Valley were taught lessons Wednesday in bicycle and fire safety from Russeville police and fire department personnel. Russellville Police Department (RPD) Public Information Officer Drew Latch and Officer Chris Isbell talked bicycle safety with the children using their “bicycle rodeo,” showing them the ropes of proper bicycle etiquette and safety. “The program is to pr...

Board supports terminationTrustees at Arkansas Tech University voted unanimously to affirm a personnel decision by ATU President Dr. Robert C. Brown and deny a grievance by former softball coach Gidget Pambianchi during a special called board meeting on Monday. Pambianchi was relieved of her duties as head softball coach in March. Employee grievance procedures at ATU state appeals shall be heard by the Board of Trustees, and the decisions made by trustees are “final an...

Dardanelle School Board fills vacancyDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle School Board voted to appoint Northeast Yell County Water employee Brandon Carter to the zone 2 seat Monday, filling a vacancy left after former board member Keith Stokes resigned in May. Carter, who has a 16-year-old son attending Dardanelle High School, will serve on the board until September, when school board elections are scheduled. Carter said he looks forward to serving on the board, and is currently planning...

Love at first sightIt’s not your typical love story. There is no Prince Charming, although John might disagree, and there is no heroine waiting to be rescued. There are, however, more than 600 children whose lives have been molded and forever changed by the special love and dedication of Crawford Elementary first-grade teacher Donna Przybys. Her love story begins with a young girl who dreamed of becoming a teacher. Her grandmother taught in a one-room school hou...

Russellville students wrap up school yearWith the school year soon coming to a close, Russellville School District students are staying busy with many activities and events. At Oakland Heights Elementary School, students just completed a school-wide two-week study of Arkansas. They also had the annual turtle derby. The event consisted of turtle races, field events, and education on turtles. This week, they had field days for all grades and are ending the week with a talent show. Next...

An artist's touchWhile many Arkansas Tech University (ATU) students hit the books in preparation for final exams this week, 17 students in a 3D Design course went to Norman Hall and transformed the building with their final projects of the year. Visiting instructor of art Garry Holstein said the final project he assigned to his students required them to transform an area in or around Norman Hall. “It’s an opportunity to think about sculpture in a different way...

ATU enrollment, graduation rates at inclineIn a world full of technological advances and new trends among students, officials at Arkansas Tech University (ATU) have found ways to keep the school’s prospects interested and focused on post-secondary education as ATU has found itself at a steady incline of graduating students. The number of degrees awarded by ATU has found itself rising in the last 18 years — 711 degrees for the 1993-94 academic year and 1,993 for the 2010-11 year. While ...

Russellville schools work with language learnersAbout 20 percent of the students in the Russellville School District speak English as a second language, and about 10 percent of those students were born in the United States, according to information from the district. While communication can be difficult, “you’d be amazed at what you can communicate with gestures, pictures and other non-verbal communication,” said Gina Mann, ESL coordinator for the district. Students’ first languages include...

District hires Loyd to lead Two RiversFollowing a six-hour Saturday meeting, the Two Rivers School Board hired Jim Loyd of Paris as superintendent. Loyd will take the post on July 1, the first day of the school’s fiscal year. The board’s executive session dominated the meeting in which several candidates were interviewed. Loyd said he is excited about his new position and is ready to “get over there and listen to the people,” adding that he tries to base every decision on what’s b...

Boards decide on personnel, update policies for schoolsClarksville School Board The Clarksville School Board voted recently to use the state School Board Association’s model policy for its social networking policy concerning teachers and students. The Arkansas School Board Association model policy suggests districts ban teacher-student friendships on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. The board also approved a proposed stipend schedule and policies for employees regarding sexua...

Tech suspends fraternity as school, police probe hazingAn Arkansas Tech University student remains in serious condition in a Little Rock hospital after sustaining injuries in an alleged fraternity hazing incident last week. The fraternity has been suspended by the university pending the outcome of an investigation by Arkansas State Police and the school's Office of Public Safety. According to a statement released by Tech officials Monday, authorities are investigating to determine if the student, ...

RHS hosts prom night scenarioSeniors at Russellville High School listened to sirens and screams Thursday morning as 18-year-old Chandler Birmingham’s mother arrived at the scene of a fatal accident where her daughter lay through the windshield of a Saturn automobile. Of course, this was part of a re-enactment of a fatal prom night scenario the school has hosted for the past 20 years to warn students of two of the most common causes of teenage accidents — drunk driving and...

Tech, RSD growing own future leadersThe Russellville School District has found a way to address a shortage in educational leaders — it will grow its own. Through a partnership with Arkansas Tech University, the district has placed 18 teachers into a rare program to help them grow into leaders. “We’re offering a broad perspective of leadership,” said Dr. Mary Gunter, dean of the Tech graduate college and professor of educational leadership. “It is a unique experience.” Through th...

Tech raises tuition, feesArkansas Tech University’s Board of Trustees agreed to an increase of 3.9 percent in tuition for the upcoming fiscal year and accepted the retirements of long-serving faculty members at its meeting Thursday. The increase means additional funding of $3,069,704, with some of the funds benefiting professional salaries, classified salaries, benefits, student health services, an increase in health insurance and other student services. The change re...

Ussery hired as RHS principalThe Russellville School Board approved the hiring of Russellville Middle School Principal Sammy Ussery as high school principal at Tuesday night’s school board meeting. Assistant Superintendent Alene Bynum said the administration and board are excited to bring Ussery into the position. “He will bring a lot of energy and ideas,” she said. “He has already been working with staff and students and parents. He is very qualified for this position.” ...

Atkins board reviews auditThe Atkins School Board discussed the district’s audit, the continued construction of a safe room and the retirement of staff at a recent meeting. Superintendent Boyce Watkins said the board received a material finding in the audit for failing to amend line items to bring them back within the 10 percent limit. He said the district had the option in June to rearrange funds in the special education category to bring them in line, but failed to f...

Dardanelle board studies alternatives to building plansDARDANELLE — Dardanelle School Board members met with architect Steve Elliott and construction consultant Paul Hull last Thursday night to discuss a surprising increase in cost to a proposed primary school on Liberty Road. Board members learned during a recent meeting that the project, estimated to cost about $12 million, was projected to bid at about $13.5 million, with needed dirt work and undercutting to the site. The property, purchased in...